WHY I LEFT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ...

hey what's up everybody my name is Richard Lou and yeah I left Harvard Medical School so it's been almost three years since my last video that was taken during second year in the middle of my rotations and I just wanted to make this video to share a little bit more about why I laugh what I've been doing since and what this means for my future which might surprise you so stay tuned until the end to figure out what I'm going to be doing next I'm also hoping that this can be part of an ongoing conversation for people in medicine to normalize thinking about switching careers or even considering alternate paths I left Harvard medical school to become a Management Consultant in New York City it almost pains me to say that because I can see so many of my professors rolling their eyes hearing me say this but it truly was one of the best decisions that I've ever made so for those of you that are new to this Channel I want to give a really quick background about who I am I went to Princeton for undergrad where I studied chemistry and minored in global health and health policy when I was there I did a summer internship at the management consulting firm where I work now and did even offer to come back but deferred it for six years instead I got a road scholarship and skipped across the pond to Oxford where I studied Global health and epidemiology and then I got my MBA and then I came back to Boston to start medical school where I stayed for three years before taking this leave of absence moving to New York City now when I started medical school at Harvard I went through a lot of the ups and downs that come with being in this incredible space working with patients for the first time being in the operating for the first time so like the highest of Highs but at the same time being in hospital is extremely grueling and it's no surprise that you look around and you're surrounded by physicians and nurses and Healthcare professionals who are burnt out and exhausted and feel undervalued and are underpaid and it really led me to wonder whether this was the type of environment that I wanted to wake up to every single day to dedicate my time and my energy even though it came with the gift of seeing patients and treating them and so I went back to the management firm that had given me that offer five years ago at this point and finessed both medical school and this consulting firm to let me take a leave of absence and Bo worked for them for a period of time in New York City now when I started I had three big goals in mind number one I wanted to learn how these types of organizations think about big picture Healthcare problems that affect hundreds of thousands millions of people at a time number two I wanted to learn how to guide organizations and their people as you're trying to figure out how to move from point A to point B and finally I wanted to learn how to be a better Coach and Mentor starting with how I learn and how I develop and then Translating that to the way that I coach and Mentor other people but I think the three most important lessons that I learned had nothing to do with medicine or management consulting they're probably things that are pretty obvious but really took me this time to appreciate as someone who had never really lived a life outside of graduate school number one life is really about about the journey rather than the destination and learning to be happy on the walk that you are walking you know Medical School teaches us to always think about the next thing whether it's getting in the medical school getting into residency publishing papers and I learned that there is such peace in being happy and content with where you are exactly in that moment and to anyone out there that feels like they're not doing well enough or good enough the best advice that I heard is that you are right where you need to be number two there is a lot to life outside of your work and your career and as much as you invest in your work and in your studies you have to invest in your life as well I've learned that it's not so much a work-life balance as it is a work-life integration and each one affects the way that you bring yourself into the other I feel really really grateful that the first time I had a real income I got to spend it in New York City and I've become a lot more Relentless about protecting my own boundaries and the way that I bring myself to work and finally your people and your our community should always come first whether it's your family or your friends or your mentors or your mentees walk through this shared journey of life with them through experiences and through camaraderie these are the people that are going to be the ones that build you up to be your best and will hold you when you're feeling down so invest in these relationships now when I started at this management consulting firm I wanted to learn things as quickly as I could and I had some mentors that took a chance on me early on and let me start managing teams as an engagement manager after just seven months I got promoted after a year and now that I've been there I really feel like I've had the chance to understand what life is like as a Management Consultant and let me tell you it's fun it's filled with with growth and it's exhilarating and it's amazing working with people both on the client side and within your own teams but at the same time even though I find the work really exhilarating and very exciting I realized that there was something that was missing for me and it was the one-on-one relationship that I get to have with a patient that closeness that I feel when I am counseling a patient or when I'm in the operating room ultimately I realized that even though I really love working within Healthcare systems and I find the work really interesting it was these one-on-one relationships that I can have with patients that keep me sustained in the long term I found this relationship with patients more of a calling than just a job and really an integral part of my identity and and how I see myself so right now I am both working at this management consulting firm and finishing up my final year at Harvard medical school which I know sounds crazy and I'll make another video explaining how that Arrangement worked out I ultimately did apply to residency and I'm making this video right now before match day so I have no idea what's going to happen if I do match I am going to happily go to residency and if I don't I will happily continue working at this management consulting firm for now so there is a lot in the air right now I think I'm gonna be releasing this video on Match day so the day that you all see this will be the day that I find out what I'm going to be doing for the next several years of my life so knock on wood that it works out um anyway if you have any questions about medical school about management consulting about what it was like applying to residency please drop them in the comments below thanks everyone for watching this video be sure to like And subscribe and we will see you on the other side of match day

Channel: Dr. Richard Lu

Views: 53,630

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Id: TzX7lnT6-qs

Length: 6min 23sec (383 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 17 2023